


What The Hell Would I Be Without You

by catraaadora



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Romance, Background Relationships, Detention, Developing Relationship, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Enemies to Lovers, Getting Together, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Jealousy, Lacrosse, Mara Is a Cat, Not all angst, Rooftop romance, Secret Crush, Secret Relationship (kinda), Slow Build, Teenage Dorks, Teenage Drama, all characters 18+, bitter gay, catradora, fun times too, jock/punk au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2019-10-25 07:47:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17721065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catraaadora/pseuds/catraaadora
Summary: Adora moves back to her hometown after four years and runs into about the last person she would have expected to be in Brightmoon HighFluff and angst galore





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Sick of Losing Soulmates by Dodie
> 
> wow this fic has taken a long time to write haha. still working on it so updates may be a tiny bit slow, but already have a few chapters written so there should be quite a few updates soon. I love highschool au's so this is just very self indulgent  
> all characters 18+ and in senior year, and human.
> 
> beta'd by my wonderful gf @stroopwafeldetective

Adora gave a little sigh. She was standing in a vacant hall after school, just staring at the door in front of her, regretting the events that had led up to this. Why did she always have to stick her nose into things? It always just led to more trouble. Sure, she had been trying to help, but really sometimes it seemed as if she would just be better off not doing anything; in fact, the person she’d been trying to help had ended up _more_ pissed at her than the person who’d been bothering them in the first place. It really sucked and Adora just really hoped it didn’t affect her grades; or worse, her eligibility to join the lacrosse team! That would be the worst outcome to all of this. Lacrosse was the one thing she enjoyed about school more than anything else. It's what helped her stay focused and motivated.

 

The worst part though right now was where she was;

 

Detention.

 

Adora had never been in detention before. Never broken the rules at all. People who didn’t know Adora may have found that hard to believe, but she always tried her best to stay in the good graces of her teachers and, well, pretty much everyone. It helped that she was naturally friendly and outgoing, leaving a fairly good impression on most of the people she met. (Note: most.) Not that she was purposely kissing up to anyone it was just the way she was. 

 

That’s why she felt such disbelief that she was actually here. Of all places. Fuck, she hoped her mother never found out about this. Now _that_ would be a nightmare.

 

Adora tried to steady her nerves as she entered the room, finding that there were only about four other unfortunate students in the classroom, all of them sitting as close to the back and as far away from the teacher as they could possibly get. The room was nice enough, fairly organized and a little bare, with minimal furniture and supplies. But it seemed as if this is where the school stuck all the flunkies and burnouts; even the desks seemed to be older than most of the staff here, covered in hundreds of tiny nicks and dents from the decades before, along with the many names and symbols haphazardly chiseled into them.

 

She casually glanced at the nameplate of the teacher who got the unfortunate duty of monitoring this class as she walked by-

 

_Shana Dowene Weaver_

 

The teacher flicked her gaze over her way and stopped what she was doing. 

 

"Ah, Adora. So nice of you to finally join us."

 

Something about that tone sent shivers up Adora's spine. She hiked her backpack up a bit on her shoulder and tried to ignore it; she was sure Ms. Weaver was a nice lady but fore some reason couldn't bring herself to look back at her. Adora instead focused on looking over the rows of desks, trying to find one not too damaged to sit at. But instead she ended up she locking her gaze with a familiar pair of hetero-chromatic eyes she’d never thought she’d see again.

 

 _Catra_.

 

Suddenly this day got from worse to just downright unbelievable. Her heart skipped a beat.

 

Adora couldn’t help but think of the day she left her longtime friend--or, she guessed, ex-friend--and the look of just utter _despair_ on that soft freckled face when she told the brunette she was moving away. It had looked like her heart had literally been shattered. It wasn’t by choice that Adora had left her. She couldn’t stay behind when her entire family was moving. She didn’t have that option. It had broke her heart to have to leave her best friend. However, despite the pain Catra herself had obviously felt, she just just turned away and left without a word to Adora.

 

No goodbye.

No letters.

No calls.

Nothing.

 

Until now. This was the first time Adora was seeing Catra in four years, and it felt like both an eternity and no time had passed at once.

 

She noticed Catra was sitting in the back of class with everyone else as well, feet clad in black roughed up boots that were resting up on the desk with one crossed over the other. She was dressed in a deep maroon colored moto jacket and sporting quite an impressive flippant expression, looking _very_ different than the small scrappy brown haired girl that Adora remembered growing up with.

 

She winced a bit, realizing just how much she must have changed in the past few years. And wondering how much was because of her.

 

Catra quickly broke her gaze with Adora and looks over to a tall muscular girl with white and black hair seated next to her with a small scowl.

 

Adora tried not to notice the quick change in Catra’s expression at the sight of her as she sat down in the seat that seemed the least beat-up, a few rows from the back. She could practically feel eyes drilling holes into the back of her head.

 

 _What was Catra thinking?_ Catra obviously realized who Adora was, or she wouldn’t have reacted the way she did. She wished she could talk to her somehow, apologize, try and reconnect with the only person that she had ever felt understood her completely.

 

But how?

 

A wad of paper hit the back of the blonde’s head, causing her train of thought come crashing to a halt. Adora picked up the crumpled scrap of paper and unfolded it:

 

_Hey, Adora_

 

The words were scrawled next to a surprisingly cute little doodle of Catra’s own face.

 

Adora quickly looked over to her shoulder, looking for Catra, and saw her sitting only a few desks behind with a lopsided smirk on her face giving her a small incredibly sardonic wave.

 

Adora looked back down at the note then carefully folded it and placed it in her bag. She drew out her notebook and wrote her own note, her careful and elegant lettering starkly contrasting Catra’s characteristic chicken scratch.

 

_Catra, here’s my number-- can we talk?_

 

She passed the note back and wadded it up just as Catra had done, gently tossing it back to her. She hoped Ms. Weaver wouldn’t notice.  After a few seconds, Adora tried to look-while-not-looking over her shoulder, attempt to catch a glimpse of the other reading the note, but all she heard was a sharp sigh and the sound of a bag being zipped open and paper being shoved inside.

 

Adora’s heart sunk. That sigh sounded tired, angry even. The hopes of them reconciling in any way started to fade.

 

Maybe it really had been too long. Maybe it really _was_ too late.

 

Adora heard the white and black haired girl sitting next to Catra not-so-quietly whisper to her about an upcoming dance, asking if she wanted to go together as friends. The girl, Adora thought, must’ve noticed an odd look on Catra’s face, an angry, distant stare that Adora could still clearly remember Catra pulling thousands of times before, because the girl promptly switched tracks and asked her friend what’s wrong.

 

—-

 

This would normally not usually annoy Catra—-honestly, Scorpia was one of the only people she could tolerate on a daily basis, the one person Catra could come close to calling a “friend”—-but today already had gone to shit and she was not in the best of moods.

 

“ _Drop the damn subject, Scorpia--!_ ”

 

That comment, of course, earns her a loud “BE QUIET, CATRA” from Ms. Weaver (or as Catra liked to call her, Shadow Weaver.) Who seemed more often than not to somehow possess the power of supersonic hearing.

 

Really. That lady always had it out for her.  

 

Being shouted at just made her mood grow worse and as bad as she had felt about snapping at Scorpia she didn't feel much like talking either. So Catra huffed a frustrated sigh and took to glaring at the clock in the front of the room, trying to will the hands to move faster so she could leave and just get the fuck out of there already. It sucked she was stuck in this tiny room in this silence with her stupid thoughts that kept going back to the blonde seated in front of her no matter how hard she tried to think of anything else. Catra had spent years trying to forget what had happened, why did she have to come back now, after so long? It wasn't fair.

 

The time seemed to go by slower than usual and the literal second that bell rung, Catra stood up with her backpack already on and practically darted for the door, pushing past the blonde unapologetically and disappearing from Adora’s sight.

 

Adora let out her own sigh and stared at the chipped desk for a moment, wondering what the hell the rest of the year was going to be like now that she was going to the same school as Catra.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry a little short this time around but there is more coming!
> 
> Also I literally know nothing about lacrosse rip
> 
> beta'd by my lovely gf @stroopwafeldetective

Luckily for Adora being in detention hadn’t made her miss lacrosse tryouts, which she managed to get to just in time for. 

 

“Hey...I’m here...for the tryouts?” She panted, after sprinting halfway across the school. She didn’t care how silly she looked running through the halls in her cleats and pads. She was just glad she made it.

 

The coach, who introduced herself as Angella, smiled and directed Adora over to a line that had formed on the other side of the green field and the blonde quickly jogged over to join.

 

Adora noticed just how many people were there at tryouts; many of whose faces she recognized from some of her other classes but even more that she didn’t know. She couldn't imagine everyone would make it in. It sure seemed like was going to be a pretty tough competition to get on the team this year. Despite how many people have told her how well she has played before Adora still worried about the possibility of not passing tryouts, there were just so many people there and she was certain many of them were just as skilled as her. She really hoped she could make it. 

 

A loud whistle shrieked across the field gathering everyone’s attention. All the girls stopped talking and looked towards coach Angella, who was now standing in front of them holding her clipboard with a serious but kind look on her face.

 

“Alright everyone, we are going to start with those who are first in line and then continue back until everyone has had a chance to play. Today I will be looking for those who can show their strength, determination, but most of all, those who show the most potential for teamwork.”

 

She blew her whistle again, and the first few girls began their tryouts, obviously putting all their heart and focus into playing. They ran up and down the field, nets waving and balls thundering by as the late afternoon sun beat down upon them.

 

“ _Adora, go!_ ”  Angella ordered, and the blonde set aside all her worries and fears about Catra and focused her mind on doing her best. She grabbed a net and took in a small breath then let it out slow to steady her nerves.

 

It was time to prove what she was made of.

 

Running as fast as she could, the blonde dashed across the field, skilled moves easily catching every ball that flew by. Her body twisted and turned with every movement; her usually flawless hair now tousled and falling into her face. A lovely sheen of sweat highlighting her well toned muscles had started to form from the unrelenting rays of the sun shining down; amplifying the already intense heat of the game.

 

Unnoticed to Adora, or anyone else on the field, a girl in a very familiar maroon jacket was hanging out under the bleachers as they did every day, smoking a blunt and eyeing the game going on the field nearby absentmindedly. However, noticing that a certain blonde was now on the field, and moving _oh so precisely_ , she quickly forgot what was in her hand and all her attention went to focusing on the beautiful scene in front of her.

 

Adora was doing really well; never missing a single pass yet. Sweat began to trickle down the girl’s forehead, then her arms and her exposed thighs. Something in Catra ignited and she just couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from the other girl. She admired the blonde’s curves, the way her body moved and tensed as she ran. The flyaways stuck to Adora’s face almost highlighting the determined look in her eyes.

 

Fuck.

 

Catra didn’t know how she felt at that moment. An intense fascination with the performance of the girl in front of her wouldn’t allow her to look away. She had a feeling, an inkling, she knew the reason, deep down, but she shoved it into the back of her mind, denying it even existed. Instead deciding to focus on the girl playing in front of her. No particular reason. She just wanted to--it wasn't weird. And it most certainly didn't mean anything.

 

With one final swing of her net, Adora caught the last ball thrown at her and landed with a triumphant grin. Coach Angella blew her whistle and all the girls in line cheered for her.

 

“You did really well, Adora.” Angella said congratulating her. “I think you’ve more than earned the position of team captain.”

 

Adora couldn’t believe her ears. Team captain? Her? This was too good to be true. She was just expecting to place on the team, not to be it's leader. She didn’t know what to say.

 

“T-thank you--!” Adora stammered.

 

Angella smiled and waved over to the other players, bringing them all closer to announce to who made it onto the team and who didn’t.

 

“Unfortunately, everyone, as well as you all have played here today, we only have room for twelve players this semester. As I call out your names, please step forward.”

 

Angella called out a few familiar names; Entrapta and Perfuma, the two girls who sat together in her science class. (Adora remembered purpled haired girl especially since she had been experimenting with some of the chemicals in class and ended up accidentally injuring herself earlier that day.)

As well as Mermista, who Adora had in her first period and was actually the first person she had talked to after arriving on her first day of school.

 

“Cool.” Mermista said in her usual monotone voice, sounding like she could care less. However, it was easy tell from the smile tugging at the corners of the blue-haired girls’ mouth that she was very happy she had been chosen.

 

“And, of course, Adora, as our new team captain.”

 

As the crowd continued to cheer for Adora, Catra, who was still under the bleachers, dropped what she had been smoking and snuffed it into the ground with the toe of her boot in a hurry to leave before anyone noticed she had been watching the obvious new star of the Brightmoon High lacrosse team. However before she could make her escape she bumped into a large person behind her.

 

She looked up with a scowl on her face ready to ask what the fuck they were doing there before she realized it was Scorpia.

 

“Who was that?” Scorpia asked her, in her usual peppy tone.

 

Catra sighed and tried to avoid meeting eyes with her friend.  She suddenly felt really tired.

 

“No one. Just, just was watching the game.”

 

She didn’t even sound convincing to herself.

 

Scorpia raised a knowing eyebrow but didn’t comment on it further. She knew Catra well enough at this point to know the girl would tell her when she's ready.

 

“Alright, well I was just coming over to let you know my club meeting is over and I can drop ya off at home now.”

 

Catra shrugged and followed the other girl over towards the back of the parking lot where Scorpia had parked. But not without one last look behind her, at the lacrosse field, over to the blonde haired girl who was still surrounded by her new team.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more angst sorry guys but hey Perfuma is here to cheer y'all up a bit! (things do get a bit better soon i swear just stick with me here)
> 
> As usual, beta'd by my wonderful gf @stroopwafeldetective

The next day may have been even more awkward than the first. Catra turned out to be in Adora’s first class, which was history and one Adora genuinely loved. Catra flicked her eyes away as soon as she noticed the blonde walk in the room. The brunette must’ve skipped some of her classes yesterday which was probably why she had been in detention.

 

Adora tried to find a seat as far away from the girl as she could, sensing the hostility coming from the other, finally settling on a seat in the front row--she didn’t want to bother Catra again after she had quite clearly shown the intention of ignoring her the other day. It was beyond tense between them right now and she didn’t want to risk upsetting her old friend anymore. Not if she still wanted there to be a chance for them to reconcile.

 

Most of the class just mainly involved Adora vigorously scribbling down notes and chatting a bit with Perfuma, who sat right next to her. She was one of the friendliest people she had met at this school yet and really enjoyed talking to her, although their conversations usually revolved around either lacrosse or gardening.

 

“You should _totally_ join the herbology club!” Perfuma insisted, eyes practically sparkling. “We would absolutely love to have you, right now we only have a few members but I swear it is really very fun and interesting--not to mention you could still make it to lacrosse after!”

 

Adora smiled. Joining a club sounded pretty great, and a good way to meet more people besides her teammates. Not that she didn’t like them but it’s always nice to make more friends. And get to know Perfuma more, too.

 

“I would love to Perfuma, that sounds really great--just let me know when it is.”

 

“Of course! We usually meet every Wednesday right after the bell rings, down in the science room.”

 

She was really glad it’s been easy getting to know people in this school. The blonde had been home schooled for the majority of middle school and into high school, and even though she had still been able to play lacrosse it just wasn’t the same. Plus she also got to have an opportunity she never thought she would again; to maybe be able to get her best friend back.

 

It could be it was just her more dreamy side but she supposed maybe this was what you would call fate.

 

\----

 

While Adora and Perfuma continued chatting Catra was sitting in the back and spent most of the time trying her best to ignore the two, instead doodling in her notebook, occasionally stopping to play pointless games on her phone. Who cared about this crap anyway? She wasn’t going to need to know any of this in the future. It was pointless and she could be using this time for better things, so why bother.

 

Catra’s phone buzzed and tried to check it without Ms. Castaspella noticing, the last thing she needed right now was for her phone to be taken away and she had already almost been caught a few times today playing dumb games.

   
 **Lobsterlover69**

_Sorry cat can’t drive u home today gotta go for an emergency appointment to the dentist they think it’s my wisdom teeth_

 

It was Scorpia, of course. No one else had her number besides Entrapta and her. Catra sighed. Now she was probably going to have to walk the mile home instead. Fantastic. This day just kept getting worse and worse.

 

_It’s fine. i’ll just walk_

 

She sighed again and shut off her phone, shoving it back into the pocket of her jeans. The girl tried to ignore the unpleasant feeling growing in her stomach, and tried to avoid looking over at the one person she had been trying her best to forget. It made her jealous to see the blonde so happy. She had it so easy and it wasn’t fair. But then life wasn’t fair, she supposed. The past few years had taught her that much.

 

\-----

 

Adora threw a glance back at Catra every now and then, each time seeing the girl engrossed in sketching wildly on the page in front of her. Not surprising as she used to draw a lot before as well. She was sure Catra’s art had improved vastly since. She kind of wished she could see it but doubted there was really much chance at the moment.

 

And each time Catra glanced up at Adora, was either taking what were probably excellent notes, talking with her friend, or actually _paying attention_ to the teacher.

 

Only once did their eyes meet, and immediately Catra broke the stare as if it had burned her. That hurt to see more than she'd like to admit. Adora supposed it was too soon to try to talk to the brunette, let alone even begin to think of reconciling. No matter how desperate she was to talk to her again it would have to wait if their friendship ever stood a chance.

 

Most of the rest of class for the blonde went by as usual at least luckily. Continued to talk to Perfuma a bit in between taking notes. Definitely the friendliest person she’s met yet, next to Bow. She didn’t think anyone could be as upbeat as that guy. Adora wondered if they knew each other--she was sure they would be really good friends.

 

As soon as the bell rang and everyone got up and grabbed their things to leave their teacher, Ms. Castaspella, called Adora’s name alongsidethe name of probably the last person’s she would have expected.

 

“Adora? Catra? Can I see you both for a moment?”

 

\----

 

Catra gulped. She was just expecting to grab her bag and get the hell out of there, but now not only is she going to miss the beginning of lunch but she’s gonna have to be alone with _her_. Really she did not want to even bother going near Adora. Her plan for the rest of the year was just to avoid the blonde as much as fucking possible and pretend she never even noticed she went to this stupid school.

 

But Catra had already gotten detention for skipping out on this class and honestly she didn’t feel like facing _Shadow Weaver_ again so she sucked it up and walked over to Ms. Castaspellas desk, rolling her eyes for good measure.

 

Adora was already standing up there, looking preppy and perfect as she always did. Catra tried to ignore the look the blonde was giving her and opted to stare ahead at the teacher instead.

 

“So, I’ve called you two up here because I was hoping that you, Adora, could possibly help tutor Catra here--”

 

“What??” Catra bristled, “I don’t need a tutor!”

 

Ms Castaspella shook her head. “Catra, at the rate you’re going if you want to pass this class and not have to take it again next year you really need to get some help. And Adora is my best student I know she can do it.” She turned her head to Adora with a small smile. “How about it Adora, what do you say?”

 

Catra glared at the blonde. She looked really nervous, eyes darting back and forth between the teacher and her. Good.

 

“I...uh…I... guess that’s okay?”

 

Catra groaned.

 

“Fine, whatever _princess_. Just don’t expect me to talk to you about anything other than history.”

She hiked up her backpack over her shoulder and left the room in a huff, Adora barely able to shout a

 

“Meet up with me in the library after school today!" Before she left.

 

Adora wasn’t even sure Catra had heard her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow love all the feedback guys! also any mistakes you see just let me know


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow it's hard to write multiple people talking but I tried my best! May end up editing this chapter a tiny bit in the future, but only with the way it's worded.
> 
> As always, beta'd by my lovely gf @stroopwafeldetective

After that...not so pleasant interaction with Catra, lunchtime began and Adora met up with Bow outside the cafeteria; he was the one who had volunteered to show her around on her first day of school a few days ago, and who Adora had quickly become friends with. They didn't have a lot in common but got along astonishingly well. Standing next to him was a short purple-haired girl who he introduced as his best friend Glimmer, dressed in a dark purple Brightmoon hoodie and jeans. Adora wasn't sure what to think of her--she had a pout on her face as she eyed the blonde up and down, a bit intimidatingly at first, but then broke out into a warm smile after a moment.

 

“Hey, so Bow tells me you're amazing at lacrosse. Is that true?”

 

Adora laughed a bit nervously. “Uh, yeah I’m pretty good I guess. A lot of the other players are amazing too, though, maybe more-" 

 

“Are you kidding, Adora? You’re awesome!!” Bow told her enthusiastically.

 

Again, she didn't know how to respond, she's never really been very good at receiving compliments and this wasn't an exception. 

 

“Well hey, Bow and I are on the cheer team, so we’ll be able to watch you guys at practice and during games!”

 

“Yeah," he said, "I’m the mascot, Swift Wind! He’s a rainbow unicorn. Pretty cool, right?”

 

Adora nodded in agreement. That was better than a lot of schools around here, like Greyskull Academy, whose mascot was just a guy in a cheap almost cartoonish skeleton costume, and the school that she had thought Catra would have gone to since it was closer to where she lived. If she still lived there. It had obviously been a long time since she last hung out with her old friend so she wasn't sure.

 

They all kept talking while they headed into the cafeteria and got into line to grab lunch, getting to know a bit about each other. For instance, she learned that Glimmer’s mom was actually coach Angella. Which was a little surprising since the two looked nothing alike. She said that's why she didn't want to join the team, because she didn’t want anyone to think she was getting preferential treatment, which made sense. It must be hard to attend a school your parent worked at. Adora also learned that Bow was a big self-proclaimed drama nerd, and that he was also the head of the dance committee and was trying to decide the theme.

 

"I'm thinking underwater would be cool," He said. "Either that, or a pseudo-ancient Greek theme."

 

Adora took a moment to look over the food that was available. Brightmoon High was a very well-funded school so not only was the staff and campus really nice and elegant, but the lunches were completely free and they always had such amazing food. Probably because practically all the parents of the students who went here were very rich, mainly consisting of doctors and lawyers and architects. Adora grabbed a huge scoop of mac n’ cheese, a large burger, some salad on the side, and on top of all that, a messily frosted cupcake. She was sure enjoying going here. Bow and Glimmer also picked up burgers, but a lot of fries, and, weirdly, a burrito smothered in barbeque sauce for Bow.

 

The three took their food going over to a table nearby and sat down. She tried to discreetly scan the cafeteria for that familiar head of brown tousled hair, but as much as she tried she couldn’t see the girl anywhere.

 

Huh. Maybe Catra skipped lunch, too.

 

“Who you looking for?” Bow asked, raising his eyebrow. He had a small smile, almost as if he could tell what Adora was thinking. No way he could know about Catra though, or how they knew each other.

 

Adora brushed the question off. “Oh uh, no one. Just was looking around.”

 

It's not like she was trying to hide anything, but she really didn't feel like getting into talking about Catra right now. It would only make her stress out even more than she already was, and the last thing she wanted was her new friends to have to worry about her. So for now she was just going to keep it to herself and hope things work out.

 

She was glad Bow dropped it for now.

 

The blonde only just managed to finish her burger, and Bow and Glimmer theirs, when three familiar girls came over to their table.

 

“Hey!” Perfuma greeted the trio and sat down, along with  Mermista and Entrapta, the latter of whom had her own little plastic baggie with what seemed like miniature little desserts. “You don’t mind if we sit here, right?”

 

Adora smiled and welcomed them. “Of course not! Bow, Glimmer, these are my friends and my lacrosse teammates, Perfuma, Entrapta, and Mermista.”

 

“Sup.” Mermista waved in her usual monotone voice. 

 

“Greetings!” Entrapta grinned. “Oo I absolutely love your hair,” she said to Glimmer, moving a bit closer to the other girl, practically throwing her bag of snacks on the table, completely forgotten. “Synthetic dye or mainly natural oils? I can’t fathom that a color as saturated as that could be anything else other than lab-made--”

 

Perfuma put her hand lightly on Entrapta’s shoulder, gently reminding her about personal boundaries. “Entrapta? I think Glimmer would like her space.”

 

“Oh, yes, sorry. I did not mean to intrude; just your hair is so fascinating!”

 

Glimmer smiled and waved it off. “Don’t worry about it! I’m glad that you think it looks cool. As for the dye I don’t know I just buy it offline. Never really thought about the science-y aspect of it before.”

 

“How _interesting_ -”  

 

That got Entrapta talking about her own experiments with hair dye. She jumped from subject to subject within a matter of a minute, going off on a tangent and energy unparalleled as she sped through how she had accidentally dyed her hair permanently purple somehow, and how she tried to patent it but the patent offices wouldn't take someone her age seriously.  _Then_  about how kids her age were more interested in social functions and events than research, and finally to the subject of the upcoming dance. 

 

"Are any of you planning on going?" She asked while finally getting to her food.

 

Bow nodded excitedly and brought Glimmer in close, who was attempting to eat her fries. Adora tried not to laugh at the small ‘squawk’ the girl let out as she was drawn in. 

 

 “Yeah! Of course we're going, I've been planning it for weeks! Glimmer and I are going together, even practiced a few cool new dance moves to show off, right Glim?”

 

“Totally,” She said, swallowing the fries that were stuffed in her mouth, brushing the boy off so she could continue to finish her food, “Bow and I go to every dance together, always have since we met in middle school--going to dances with your friends is _always_ more fun than going with a date.”

 

“What about you Mermista?” Perfuma asked. The girl gave a bit of a halfhearted sigh and rolled her eyes.

 

“I don’t know. Seahawk has been bugging me to go with him. So gonna go with him, I guess.”

 

Adora looked a little confused so Bow tried to explain who Seahawk was, and the cute and blatantly obvious crush he had on Mermista for years now. _And_ the fact that he had publicly stated it many times despite Mermista’s standoffishness. The occasional arson part sounded interesting.

 

“They sort of have this not-dating but dating type thing going on,” He said.

 

Mermista shrugged.

 

“I guess.”

 

Well, she didn’t disagree.

 

“Anyways,” Glimmer asked Adora while popping another fry into her mouth, “Who are you going with? I know you haven’t been here very long but you seem pretty popular already.”

 

The blonde considered it for a moment. Who would she go with? No one had asked her. She had no idea there was even any event like this coming up. Although she supposed it made sense since the lacrosse season was about to begin and all. They didn’t have a football team in this school, or any of the other schools in the district, so the lacrosse teams had the honor of kick starting the sports season every year. Kind of silly for her not to have realized but she’d been preoccupied a lot lately with thinking about how to get Catra to talk to her.

 

“Uh, I actually don’t know who I’m going with yet. To be honest this is the first time I’m hearing about it.”

 

“Well, hey you could go with me if you wanted Adora!” Perfuma offered. “I don’t have anyone to go with yet either, and I usually take a friend as well or go alone. That is, if you don’t want or have a date by then.”

 

Adora smiled at her. That was such a sweet offer.

 

“Of course, I would love that, Perfuma.” She smiled. Bow turned to Entrapta and asked her if she had anyone she was going with.

 

“Oh I am planning on going by myself, so I can study more closely the social interactions between my fellow peers! Although, I may also meet up with a friend from my and Perfuma’s herbology club, Scorpia.”

 

It was amazing the enthusiasm she had about sociology and the sciences. That girl _really_ loved to study things it seemed. It’s great to see someone so passionate about things, Adora couldn’t count how many people she’s known who never seemed to care about a single thing. 

 

While Entrapta and Perfuma began discussing their club, the blonde overhearing something about Entrapta wanting to bake tiny snacks to bring in for the meeting, she decided to ask Glimmer what she was planning on wearing to the dance, just so she could get a rough idea of the sort of thing to wear herself if she did end up going. Adora didn’t know how formal a thing this was going to be and didn’t want to go overdressed or anything. The idea of that made her cringe a bit, it would be a embarrassing if she were to turn up in a simple dress and everyone else was in gowns.

 

“I’m actually wearing the same dress my mom did when she went to this school.” Glimmer told her. “It’s my favorite color and fits really well! I have a bunch of different dresses but really that one is my favorite. What about you, what are you planning on wearing?”

 

“Uh...I don’t know that yet, either. I guess maybe like a plain red one? I don’t really know much about dresses I only own one and it’s nothing too fancy.”

 

Glimmer audibly gasped.

 

“What?? Only one? Okay, we _need_ to go shopping together this weekend!” She insisted as if it were a travesty she didn't own more than one dress. Was she supposed to? Really she never had occasion to wear any and it's not like she wore them on a daily basis.

 

“Uhm, sure-”

 

“I can have my mom drive us, I gotta double check with her first.”

 

“Alright, well I guess that's okay then," Adora replied, "I just gotta make sure there’s not practice that day so I’ll let you know. Can't miss that.”

 

 “Oh yeah," Glimmer remembered "you guys are getting ready for the big game right? Gonna be huge! I heard this year the team is supposed to be playing our school’s biggest rivals, Greyskull Academy. People say they’re crazy good and not afraid to cheat.”

 

That surprised Adora to hear honestly. Last time she heard about Greyskull’s lacrosse team, she had been in middle school with Catra and heard that they weren’t the best. But it could be that they had just probably had gotten better over the years. She hoped that her team would win and not let down the school. It would be pretty disappointing if they lost their very first game of the year. Glimmer noticed the worried look growing on Adora’s face and tried to figure out something to say to comfort her.

 

“Hey, I’m sure you will all do your best alright? And even if the game doesn’t go well, playing and trying your hardest is what is important. So no worries.” She assured.

 

“Yeah, you’re right Glimmer.” Adora said with a small smile.

 

Even if they didn’t win she knew the girl was right; it was playing the game that mattered the most, and working together as a team. 

 

Now if only she could a certain towheaded brunette out of her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry no Catra in this chapter, but more of her will be coming up soon!


	5. Filler

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooo sorry this has taken so long! i ended up going into surgery unexpectedly and it's taken me a while to recover  
> should be updating regularly soon! 
> 
> for now here's some silly filler
> 
> also scorpia totally uses those cute lil text faces and no one can convince me otherwise

 

 

**_Best Buds_ ** has been changed to **_SuperPartyThyme_ **

 

7:01 pm

 

**Perfuma** so I asked my friend Adora to come join our club!!

 

**Scorpia** Y A A Y

 

**Scorpia sent a GIF**

 

**Scorpia** Isn’t she the new lacrosse captain?  ( *ヮ*)ﾉ ✿

 

**Perfuma** yeah she’s very friendly!!  

**Perfuma** i think you two will get along great

**Perfuma** she already knows Entrapta too

 

**Scorpia** aa sweet!

**Scorpia** feels like we haven’t had a new member in ages (❁´◡`❁)

 

**Perfuma** yea i’m sure Ms. Hope will b pleased

 

**Scorpia** so who is in charge the snacks again?? I gotta know so i can buy some if i’m bringing them

 

**Perfuma** idk i thought entrapta was? She mentioned something about baking

**Perfuma** I’m not too sure tho,,,

 

**Perfuma** maybe i can try and get ahold of her?

 

**Entrapta has joined** SuperPartyThyme

**Entrapta has changed her name to** **_Techgorl_**

 

**Techgorl** yes!! I am in charge of snacc

**Techgorl**  i am currently in the process of baking tiny cupcakes

 

**Perfuma** oo that sounds amazing!!

 

**Scorpia** like the ones you bring to lunch? Those are so cute! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

**Scorpia** how do you bake them?

 

7:15 pm

 

**Scorpia** Entrapta? U okay?  

 

7:18 pm

 

**Perfuma** hm maybe she’s just,,,really focused

 

**Perfuma** sent a GIF

 

7:25 pm

 

**Techgorl** srry had a small malfunction with the oven

**Techgorl** the smoke has mostly dissipated now

**Techgorl** the alarm has stopped too everything is fine

 

**Scorpia**???

**Scorpia** do u want me to come over??

 

**Techgorl** no ty for your concern tho! Just gotta tweak the recipe a bit

 

**_Techgorl_ ** **has left the chat**

 

**7:27 pm**

 

**Scorpia** i’m worried

  
**Perfuma** yea, me too

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> entrapta can be very relatable


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk how i feel about this one but hey this is the last chapter before more Catra! the rest of this fic is gonna be one hell of a ride now that the basis of plot is down
> 
> as always, beta'd by the wonderful @stroopwafeldetective

The next day wasn’t too bad. Not much happened, besides helping Glimmer and Bow during lunch make a banner for the dance. Needless to say Adora was not a big fan of glitter. It was a good thing she had been wearing her team’s hoodie or she would have ended up trailing pink and purple sparkles all over the school for the rest of the day. It was a bit funny, though. That much she was willing to admit.

 

Bow had asked her to message him her science notes after school that day as he was going to be in the guidance counselor’s office that period to try and sort out his mixed up schedule. Apparently, he had been put back into algebra II for the third time somehow.

 

" _No way_ am I going through that class again” he said, the most serious the blonde had ever seen him. Understandable. She'd never met anyone who actually enjoyed math. Well, except for maybe Entrapta.

 

Aside from working on the banner, she had tried to look for Catra all day, even in between classes, but the girl wasn’t in history again or anywhere she could see in the cafeteria. Adora figured she was either at home sick or cutting school again. Seems like Catra doesn’t really mind detention. 

 

Adora tried her best to get her mind off the brunette and met up with Entrapta on their way to science class. Now _she_ was easy to spot in a crowd. It was impossible to miss her with all that bright purple hair practically reaching the floor. Back in her old school, the one she and Catra attended before she moved, there was no way Entrapta would have been allowed to have her hair that color. It was against the school code. But the majority of the students who went to Brightmoon High seemed to have their hair dyed, even their mustaches like in the photo of Seahawk Mermista had reluctantly showed her. The rules were much more relaxed here and it was a nice break.

 

“Have I told you the new project I’ve been working on?” Entrapta said to her, bubbly as usual. They made their way down the hall and down the stairs to the first floor. Adora tried to wrack her brain for any mentions of a new project, honestly the girl talked about so many things it was hard to keep track.

 

“Uh, no, not that I can think of. Why? What is it?”

 

“It’s a new polymer I’ve been working with, one I designed myself! I’ve been tinkering with it for a while and am now in the process of applying it to the updated shell of my mini robot I’ve been building, Emily. I’ve been considering entering her into a competition when she’s finished!”

 

“That seems like a great idea.” Adora said. “And I’d love to see her sometime, when she’s finished.

 

“Really?? Oh, that would be wonderful!” Entrapta practically beamed.

 

The two headed into class and sat down in a couple of empty seats near the front. They were a bit early, so there weren’t many other people in the class yet, including their teacher. The black and white haired girl Adora remembered seeing with Catra in detention came over and sat down next to them, as well as a boy who introduced himself as Kyle.

 

“Scorpia!” Entrapta exclaimed as the two sat down. She turned to Adora and smiled. This is the friend I was talking about the other day who’s in the herbology club with me!”

 

Adora smiled and said hello, but before she could say much else Entrapta had already tied up Scorpia in a conversation about plants and their properties. She didn’t pay much attention. Her mind was too focused on something else again, or rather someone else. Scorpia must be friends with Catra, at least it seemed that way that day in detention. Should she ask her if she knew where Catra was? It did worry her a little, their interaction the last time they saw each other was...less than pleasant, and it was something she just couldn’t stop thinking about. If she were being honest, she wasn’t sure how she felt about Catra. Adora knew she wanted to be friends again, of course, she wanted that more than anything but...it felt as if something was different this time, but she couldn’t put her finger on exactly what that something was. Maybe she was just over-analyzing things again. 

 

“So, Adora, have you decided if you’re going to the dance yet or not?” Entrapta asked, interrupting her train of thought. It took her a moment to process the question startled at the sudden change of subject.

 

“No, not yet,” Adora said. “I think I may just go with Perfuma, unless someone asks me.”

 

“Same with me,” Scorpia said, “I’m just planning on going myself or with Entrapta here.” She wrapped her arm around the purple haired girl in a friendly hug.

 

“I-i’m not going with anyone yet too.” Kyle added, speaking up (albeit quietly.) He blushed and scratched the back of his head, looking away. “Although I do want to ask someone out, but I’m kind of nervous and am not sure if I should or not…” 

 

“Aw, you should totally go for it, buddy!” Scorpia said, smiling. “I’m sure whoever it is they will say yes, after all who wouldn’t want to?”

 

“Yeah, you should go for it, Kyle.” Adora said. She may have just met the guy, but he seemed like a really nice person, although a bit shy.

 

“Statistically, the probability of this person saying yes to your proposal of going to the dance is higher than 50% if you have previously met them.” Entrapta said. “The probability is very high.”

 

Kyle still looked nervous but nodded.

 

“All right...I’ll try! I just hope things work out…”

 

“Aw, well hey we’ll be here for ya if things don’t alright? No need to worry. We’re here to back you up all the way!” Scorpia assured him.

 

Class finally started and the bell rung, all the students going to their seats and growing quiet. Their teacher walked in and set his coffee down on his desk, clearing his throat and writing the lesson chapter on the chalkboard. He began to explain the project for tomorrow.

 

“We’re beginning a new chapter in our textbooks and as such, I will require each of you to participate an experiment where you will use microscopes to define and categorize what you see, and I will be pairing you off randomly into partners for this. Assignments are 50 points each.”

 

Adora could practically hear the class groan. That meant finishing reading the chapter before tomorrow. She would have to make sure to text Bow and tell him. She wouldn’t usually mind having homework, but she had her first herbology meeting after school as well as lacrosse practice. It was one of their last practices before the start of the season.

 

She quickly took out her phone and tried to type a message beneath the desk so the teacher wouldn’t catch her.

 

2:24 pm

 

 **She-Ra**   _hey so u gotta read the whole of chapter 4 tonight_

 

 **Bow_licious** _the whole thing??_

 **Bow_licious** _dammit_

 **Bow_licious** _i didn’t even get around to reading the first chapter lol_

 

Adora tried to stifle her laugh as best she could. The teacher ended up giving her a dirty look but she ignored it and told Bow she wished him luck.

Luckily the rest of the class was mostly used for study period, so she, Entrapta, Scorpia, and Kyle spent it talking more. Scorpia gave her her number and invited her to the club’s group chat, PartyThyme. Adora gave kudos to Scorpia on the pun name. Kyle said he wish he could join the club, but he was already part of the volunteers’ club and wouldn’t be able to make it to both.

 

Class ended quickly and before they knew it they were saying goodbye to Kyle as he packed up his things and left. Scorpia, Entrapta, and Adora stayed behind to wait for Perfuma to arrive so their Herbology club meeting could start. Entrapta seemed pretty excited. She brought out a bunch of small cupcakes she had made the night before, showing them off proudly.

 

“I hope you all enjoy these! These took quite a few tries to get right…”

 

“Mm, these are really good!” Adora said, munching on a particularly pretty looking one, covered in pink and blue frosting with sprinkles. “Really, Entrapta, these turned out amazing!”

 

Entrapta’s eyes practically sparkled. “Oh, thank you so much!! I must remember to use the recipe I ended up making myself next time. The one I got offline had less than desirable results.”

 

From the sounds of what had occurred in the group chat last night, Adora was inclined to agree.

 

Perfuma ended up arriving pretty quickly, and they all sat down around a single table and had a great time enjoying the treats Entrapta brought while discussing plants. Adora admittedly didn’t know quite as much as the rest seemed to, but it was still very fun to talk about, and she was learning a lot. Like ways to stop her cat, Mara, from eating her damned fern. It was getting to be a pain, as much as she loved the little fluffbutt. Perfuma told her to maybe try hanging the plant near a window, instead of having it sit on the sill. That way it would be harder for the cat to reach. As silly as it sounds, that had never occurred to Adora. It was absolutely brilliant. Maybe now her plant wouldn’t be completely devoured.

 

While she did have the opportunity to ask Scorpia about Catra, she decided against it for now. She was sure she’d run into her again soon, anyways.

 

Close to end of meeting they ended up talking about the dance again. Perfuma said she had made her own dress, an off the shoulder gown that was a pretty mix of pink and green with a sheer gossamer layer on top. She had sewn a bunch of small rosettes and flowers along the sides and specks of glitter caught in the light. It was very her. She showed them a picture she had taken the other night, after she had finished it.

 

“The whole thing took me about three months.” She said.

The phone was passed to Scorpia, then Entrapta, then to Adora.

 

“Wow, you made that?? That’s amazing!” Adora said wide-eyed, handing back Perfuma her phone after she was done looking at the picture. “Perfuma, you are really talented!”

 

That dress was almost unbelievable. If Adora hadn’t known better, then she would have sworn it was a designer gown.

 

Perfuma’s cheeks dusted with pink and she smiled softly. “Thank you! I’m really proud of it. I love sewing almost as much as I love plants.”

 

“Aw, that is so cool!” Scorpia said. “Man, now I kinda wish you had made mine. It’s nice, but not nearly as pretty as yours is. Just a simple black dress. Maybe I can wear something with it tough, like a belt or something glittery.”  

 

They all continued to talk about the dance and Adora quietly wondered to herself if a certain brunette would be going to it, too. It didn’t really seem like her scene.

 

But who knows? Stranger things have happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feel free to leave feedback! comments fuel me


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow it's been a long time! Sorry got writer's block, then went on my trip to visit my long-distance gf (who is also my beta reader! @stroopwafeldetective) But hey, finally another chapter is here. hope you enjoy more Catra. This chapter is actually being split into two parts, so the second one should be out by tuesday next week.

Catra stood outside the bleachers, leaned up against one of the support beams with her hand in her pocket and scrolling through the feed on her phone. It feels like it had been forever since Scorpia last texted her saying she was going to be late coming back from the club meeting. The sun was practically sweltering. She sighed and looked out over the mostly empty parking lot frustratingly before deciding “fuck it” and angrily texting Scorpia.

 

“ _Seriously when u getting here my feet hurt and it’s hot out._ ”

 

Catra sighs and pockets her phone. It was stupid, having to wait outside to be driven to her house which she could honestly easily just make the walk to. But she liked hanging with Scorpia despite that fact. And maybe that wasn’t the nicest thing to say to Scorpia, after all she hadn’t done anything to her (ever) to warrant her rudeness but she was feeling brash and the heat certainly wasn’t helping in the least.

 

She causally shifted her gaze from the gray expanse of the parking lot in front of her and glanced over at the field, noticing a steady stream of short-clad girls slowly pouring out onto it. Must be a practice day. Catra stiffens slightly, muscles tensing and an unpleasant expression overcoming her as she realizes a certain blonde has just come onto the green. She wasn’t sure if she was in the mood to see the team’s shiny new captain.

.

The brown haired girl looked back down at her phone for something, anything as a distraction, and remembers the message she had just sent her friend and winces a bit. She didn’t want Scorpia to be upset, it’s not her fault she was an asshole. But she may as well apologize.

 

“ _Srry didn’t mean to sound bitchy or w/e but just wanna go home._ ”

 

She pockets the phone once more and stares out blankly to the field next to her. So much for a distraction. She knows herself better, at this point nothing is going to be able to stop the flood of thoughts from overwhelming her mind. Catra ran her gloved hand through her hair and gave out yet another frustrated sigh. Seriously she’s gotta get herself together, waiting here wasn’t going to kill her.

 

The blonde she had not been able to get out of her head suddenly ran by, net in hand, intensely focused on the game at play and not at all at the girl she used to call her friend hiding out in the shadows beneath the bleachers. Her pretty hair flowed gold under the sun and her highly toned muscles tensed, a burning determination in those crystal clear blue eyes as she ran down the field.  

 

And Catra gulped

 

Maybe this would just kill her after all.

 

Just as Catra was about to lose her mind over something she didn’t quite understand, a hand rested on her shoulder and she spun around only to see her tall friend behind her with her trademark perky smile. It was Scorpia, finally. Where had she been? It had been like, an hour.

 

“Sorry, Cat, was walking with my herbology clubmates to the locker room for their practice game. They asked me if I could join in the bleachers and watch, would you be up for that?”

 

Already reaching her limit for asshole of the day (what with making that kid spew milk out his nose earlier in the cafeteria for shits n giggles) she couldn’t deny her friend this...even if it did make her wildly uncomfortable.

 

“I don’t know..”

 

“Please? I promised Entrapta, Perfuma, and Adora already.”

 

“ _Fine_. Just. I’m not very into sports so I’m not gonna be paying much attention, fyi.”

 

Scorpia just smiled and gave her a pat on the back which she supposed was supposed to be friendly but had quite a bit of force to it as the muscular girl was easily three times her size, causing Catra to double over and having to regain her balance.

 

“Oh, that’s alright! Ya think I don’t already know that about ya? C’mon, let’s go and head up onto the bleachers.”

Scorpia started walking out from the shade and the brown haired girl just paused for a moment, not really wanting a certain someone to see her still. Scorpia must have realized her friend wasn’t following her, because she stopped and turned to look around to check if she was okay. She didn’t understand how the tall girl could be so caring of her, of all people.

 

“Are you okay?” Scorpia asked her, immediate expression of concern overcoming her, like Catra was some poor wounded animal.

 

As desperately as she wanted to confide in someone what was happening and how she was--had been--feeling, Catra again decided denial was the better route and shook it off.

 

“I’m fine. Sure, let’s watch the game. I know ‘Trapta’s been wanting me to see it too.”

 

Not wanting to pry any further, Scorpia just gave Catra a knowing look, one that said she _knew_ that there was more going on than she was letting her know but that she wasn’t going to force it out of her, and they began to head up the bleachers, the blistering sun beating down on them as soon as they stepped out from under the protection of the cool shade.

 

Catra winced from the heat, immediately beginning to remove her thick plaid flannel top and revealing a lovely grey tank and linear bar tattoos on her upper arms, tying the shirt around her waist so she didn’t have to carry it. She had been lucky enough to get tattoos at her age, but it was only because her dad couldn’t give a shit what she did.

 

Ugh. She should stop that trainwreck of a thought while she could.

 

Catra slowly stretched her arms above her head, feeling her muscles tense and then relax after standing stiffly for so long as the two headed up the metal stairs towards one of the top rows of bleachers. There weren’t many people watching the game, maybe five or six at most, so it wasn’t like they didn’t have plenty of seats to choose from, Catra just preferred to sit higher up.

 

“It’s such a nice day out, isn’t it Cat?” Scorpia laughed sitting down as the other girl slid in next to her, wincing from the burn she immediately felt sitting down on the scorching metal seat.

 

Catra genuinely couldn’t tell if Scorpia was being sarcastic or not. Knowing her, she probably wasn’t. But she couldn’t deny that her friend’s mood wasn’t infectious, and soon she found herself smiling and laughing too, making dumb jokes about some old tv shows they both loved and inside jokes they had gotten to understand over the few years they knew each other, like the legs of a certain warrior princess or the irony of living in a place like Sunnydale.

 

As much as there was still an inner ache about losing Adora, sometimes Scorpia made Catra feel like she wasn’t too alone.

The two watched from above as the girls down on the field gathered around a pink haired woman holding a clipboard Catra could only assume was the coach. Entrapta saw them and waved up fervently, a large grin plastered on her face as the group broke up to take their positions.

 

Scorpia and Catra waved back, glad their friend was so excited to be on the team.

 

While they were waving, Adora came trotting over to Entrapta asking her something Catra couldn’t quite hear, and then the blonde looked up towards the bleachers and froze, seeing her. A cold unpleasant feeling ran up along her spine along with something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

 

So not knowing how to feel, the girl defaulted to anger.

 

Scorpia turned and noticed Catra has her arms crossed and head turned, glaring straight down at her feet, stare unwavering.

 

“What’s wrong, Cat? Really. I can tell when something’s up.”

 

Scorpia tried giving Catra a reassuring look, letting her know it was okay, that she was there, but Catra just let out a deep hollow sort of sigh and didn’t answer.

 

“Look, I know I usually let these kind of things go, that I give you some time to tell me yourself but...these past week or so you’ve been acting really odd. I’m worried.”

 

Damn, she sounded so...upset. Catra looked up, meeting Scorpia’s kind gaze, and realized this

time it was different, Scorpia was serious. It kinda hurt to see.

 

Her friend’s earnest attempt at getting her to open up guilt slowly eating her up, she decided to tell the truth. Or at least, a half truth.  

 

“Just frustrated watching the game is all.” She shrugged. “I’m not a fan of sitting around watching others run back and forth on a field during my free time.”

 

Scorpia raised a brow. Damn, she caught her. That girl knew her too well.

 

“Hff, _fine_. Alright. You got me. I just don’t want to see a certain person, alright?”

 

“ _Aha_! I knew it was something like that.” Scorpia exclaimed. “So tell me, who is it?”

 

Catra slowly looked to the side, teeth chewing worriedly on her bottom lip. Should she even tell Scorpia? Once that box was opened there would be no closing it. But...Scorpia was her closest friend, after all. It wasn’t like she couldn’t trust her. She should tell the truth--she owed Scorpia that much.

The girl sighed and absentmindedly brushed a lock of her wild brown hair behind her ear and tried not to make eye contact with her friend. She was going to tell the truth, but that didn’t mean she was going to have to look at her while doing it.

 

“Well, it’s the team captain…”

 

Scorpia’s eyes lit up.

 

“Oh, Adora? That’s funny! We just met today in herbology club, she’s one of the people that asked me to stay and watch the game--”

 

Catra’s heart dropped into her stomach. _Shit, shit shit._ Her best friend and her ex-best friend being all buddy-buddy? It was bad enough she was spending her after school time watching a dumb game, especially one with Adora in it, in this horrific burning heat. How much worse could this day get?

 

“--and she’s really nice and cool, totally not what i would have pictured for a jock but then again never really knew any before--” Scorpia continued rambling on about Adora while Catra’s mind sunk farther and farther into panic and despair. What if Scorpia left her for Adora, too? Sure they were close now but no one has ever stayed her friend for too long, not that she could blame them if she was her own friend she would leave too--but dammit, it’s almost as if every time she gets _some_ semblance of a life, of people she could trust, it’s all taken away from her. Just like with Adora. Just like with school. Just like with her mom--

 

Scorpia suddenly stopped talking, a realization coming over her, and she raised a brow. The sudden silence snapped Catra out of her thoughts and looked up to see Scorpia staring at her quizzically.

 

“Waaaait a minute…” The girl said. “Why is Adora being here making you upset?”

 

The brunette drew her lower lip beneath her teeth once more and glanced away from Scorpia’s intense gaze, her eyes seeming to flicker with the heart-breaking pain she was feeling from seeing her old friend yet again.

 

“Because...because we used to be best friends.”

 

There it was. The floodgates were open.

 

“Ever since we were kids, practically since I could remember, we did everything together. And then...then she just _left_ , Scorpia. She left and I had _no one._ ”

 

With those last words, she glared back up at Scorpia, the pain in her eyes now replaced with a cold anger left from the sting of betrayal. Scorpia didn’t know what to say at first. She had no idea Catra had had a friend before her, she had never mentioned anything and was always alone. But maybe this was why she never said anything. She was too hurt to. And maybe this was why the girl had been acting so strange lately, so out of character. It would explain a lot, actually.

 

Finally Scorpia knew what she had to do. Catra, now visibly fighting back dampness in her eyes, because _no way in hell was she going to cry in public_ , suddenly had a pair of large, warm arms wrapped around her, and felt an overwhelming sense of comfort despite her disdain for pda.

 

“Hey it’s gonna be alright.” Scorpia’s calming voice said from behind her ear. “I know having friends leave hurts, but if you ever need to talk I’m here for ya. You’re not alone, Cat.”

 

It took a moment to let those words sink in, but Catra finally allowed herself to believe for once that maybe, just maybe, she had a friend that wouldn’t leave her. That she would actually have someone there for her in her life. After a minute Catra pulled away, trying to save face. Because she had  reputation to protect, after all. Couldn’t let people start thinking she was soft. She sniffed a bit, wiping away the dampness from her eyes and smiling ever so slightly with a light chuckle.

 

“Thanks, man.” She smirked in her usual drawling voice. “That means a lot to hear.”

 

Scorpia smiled warmly in return.

 

“No problemo, Cat.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time again lmao. Aw well. Started writing again. Just turned 22 as well. Happy birthday to me. 
> 
> Beta'd by my girlfriend @stroopwafeldetective
> 
> big thanks to her for helping me to write again!
> 
> Also I don't have anything against Glimmer, she's a sweet character and that will be shown! She and catra just don't get along obv

Adora looks away as she sees Catra and Scorpia embrace each other. For a moment she strangely could feel her heart drop. Catra looked upset...whatever was wrong, she really wished she could be there for her. At least Scorpia was, but it hurt not being able to help. She cares about Catra. Still. So, so much. Adora bit her lower lip, looking off to the side.

Maybe a bit too much.

But she couldn’t think about that right now. The game was about to start. And even through it’s practice, just a skirmish between Brightmoon and Crimson High, every game counts and she should try her best and stay focused. With that in mind, she pushed back all thoughts of her old friend, and trotted back over to her team to wait for Coach Angella to blow her whistle. 

 

She looked over and saw Entrapta, who when she saw her, smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Adora did the same back.

 

The game kicked off, and Crimson High gained the lead in the first few minutes of the game. Their team was strong, fast. Agile. Obviously well trained and with good teamwork. But Brightmoon was just as good, too. They knew their own strengths and weaknesses and played towards them. Adora took point, steadily helping her team gain on the other school’s. 

 

20 points.

 

30.

 

Adora’s heart was pumping wildly, teeth grit tightly as she skillfully caught a ball mid-air and launched it back towards the other side of the field in a single, powerful throw. The few people sat in the stands cheered, clapping and shouting excitedly.

Catra ignored the people cheering around her and focused on Adora again. She couldn’t help it, no matter where she looked on the field her eyes always drifted back towards this girl. Her lips parted as she intently focused- her eyebrows just the slightest bit furrowed. Rivulets of sweat running down the sides of her face which made her baby hairs stick to her brown curls shining in the golden afternoon sun... it made her insides feel all fluttery, in a weird way she couldn’t understand. In a way she didn’t want to. 

 

Catra stopped that train of thought there and mentally scolded herself. “No , you are not doing this again. Stop. It.” She scowled, a slight dusting of pink on her cheeks and made a point to stare at something, anything else. She can’t keep letting this happen. It’s too...weird. She settles on the far corner of the field, where the cheer team is practicing. She sees that guy, Arrow? Archer? Whatever, dancing around in the weird unicorn mascot. Had to admit he wasn’t half bad. Glitter, the other girl she’s seen hanging around Adora, is there, too, of course it figures she would be on the cheer team. Catra is surprised with Adora’s new cheery persona that she isn’t on the pom pom squad too. 

 

Suddenly the sharp tune of the whistle blowing pulled Catra away from her thoughts. She watched both teams head over to the side of the field, setting down their equipment and each grabbing a cup of water that had been ready. Scorpia stood up.

 

“Hey, Cat, I’m gonna go tell Entrapta and Adora how great they’re doing so far! Wanna come with?”

 

Catra looked down towards the small crowd of players that had formed. She saw Adora, that head of golden hair with that ridiculous poof hard to miss. And...for some reason, she wanted to go down. Her heart beat a bit faster at the idea. Why? She’s never had a problem with crowds before…

 

“So, you coming?” Scorpia asked again, eyebrow raised.

 

“Uh...sure.” The brunette shrugged, standing up with her friend. They made their way down the steps and headed over to Entrapta, who was busy downing what seemed to be her third cup of water. Couldn’t blame her with the heat and how intense the game was going. As soon as she saw them, her eyes lit up and she ran over.

 

“Hey!! How do you think of the game so far? Any notes? I noticed the other team’s play was more designed for offense rather than defense and I--”

 

Catra stopped the girl by pushing the cup of water back to her lips. “Nope sorry ‘Trapta, no notes so far. You guys seem to be doing pretty okay--”

 

“Yeah!” Scorpia said, “Almost neck to neck now. I’m so proud of you!”

 

Scorpia gave Entrapta a big hug and Entrapta squealed.

 

“Me too.” Catra said.

 

“Thank you!! This is honestly such a fascinating game. I’m really enjoying myself.”

 

“Hey.” An all-too familiar voice piped up from behind the trio. Catra froze, and turned around slowly. Of course it was Adora. And up close, under the bright afternoon light, she could see clearly the toned muscles of the other girl; her arms, her shoulders, her thighs…

 

Fuck. Not again. What the hell was wrong with her?  
Ugh. It was starting to get on her nerves.

 

“Hey!” Scorpia replied, turning to give her a big hug, too. 

 

Unfortunately, the sudden hug knocked the cup of water that had been in the blonde’s hand and it fell back onto none other than Catra, who immediately had her entire shirt soaked through. 

 

“Fuck!” Catra hissed, more of an automatic reaction than actual anger. Although there would be plenty of time for that, too.

 

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry!” Adora said, walking over. “Here, uh, maybe I can go grab a towel--”

 

Catra looked up into the blonde’s eyes and scowled bitterly. “It’s fine. I don’t need help.”  She pushed away the blonde’s hand, which had come too close to her in an attempt to try and apologize. “Just leave me alone.”

 

Catra turned around and went back up the bleachers to sit down. The coach's whistle blew. Well it was time to get back to playing.

 

Back in the heat of the game, both teams were neck and neck. In that short period of time Brightmoon had gone up a few points, and the game was close to being over. One last good shot would finish it. Everyone was panting hard by now and sweating in the nearly 90 degree heat, trying their best despite the exhaustion. One of the other team fumbled, and Adora was able to pass it to Entrapta who just managed to catch the ball and fling it to the goal at the last second, leaving the other team in defeat and the people in the stands cheering wildly. She had scored the winning goal. Coach Angella blew her whistle.

 

Game over. 

 

Brightmoon had won. 

 

Scorpia stands up and cheers, shouting, and drags Catra to stand up with her. Catra clapped half-heartedly. Brightmoon’s team was all cheering and high-fiving each other, and the mascot guy and glitter dropped their things and ran over to Adora, giving her a big hug. 

 

“Hey, Cat, let’s go down there and congratulate them!” Scorpia insisted. 

 

As much as Catra really didn’t want to do that, she also didn’t want to put up a fight either so she reluctantly went along, Scorpia practically dragging her by the arm as they descended the bleachers. Just because she’d be near the blonde doesn’t mean she has to speak to her. Slowly, they navigated their way through the crowd that was forming, and found Entrapta who was being congratulated by a few other people.

“Congrats!!” Scorpia said, giving Entrapta a pat on the back. “You made the winning shot! You’re gonna do great this next game.” 

 

Catra was proud of Entrapta too. She smiled, about to tell her so, however a head of blonde hair caught her eye and she locked eyes with the girl before she could stop herself.

 

Why did it feel like she couldn’t breathe?

 

Adora looked startled. Catra noticed Glitter following her gaze and seeing it was Catra Adora was staring at, she pouts. 

 

Can’t pretend that she didn’t see them now.

 

Catra put on her most sarcastic smirk and saunters over.

 

”Hey, Adora.” She practically purrs. 

 

Glimmer looked pissed, her eyebrows furrowing in the funniest way which spurs Catra on even more, and Adora just looked confused. She didn’t seem to understand why Glimmer seemed so upset- or why Catra was suddenly speaking to her in the first place.  

 

“Hey, we don’t need you around here, alright?” Glimmer warned. Adora gave her friend a confused look. “She’s bad news, Adora.” 

 

“What?” Adora said. “No, no she--”

 

“Bad news?” Catra was getting pissed now. What gave her the right--? “Look Glitter no one asked for your opinion. I have as much right to be here as anyone else.”

 

“Sorry, I don't think assholes are allowed here.”

 

Catra’s eyes narrowed and she stepped closer to Glimmer, hands curling into fists at her sides and hackles practically raising in fury.

 

Adora panicked. She couldn’t let a fight break out between her friends, even if Catra didn’t consider herself her friend anymore. Without a second thought Adora pushed her way in between them, her expression hardening.

 

 “Hey, back off!” She shouted. 

 

Both Glimmer and Catra froze in place, growing quiet. A few people looked over. Catra’s heart beat a bit faster, and the blonde locked eyes with the heterochromatic pair in front of her. 

 

Fuck.

 

Catra’s jaw clenched, trying to hold back the slew of harsh words and tears she so desperately was trying to ignore, and slowly backed away, like a wounded cat cornered by a larger animal. Of course Adora would choose Glimmer over her. Of course. 

 

She walked off the field without a second thought or single glance behind her. 

 

“Catra, wait!”

 

She just ignored the blonde and ignored the screaming inside of her and kept on walking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting back into the hang of writing everyday. No worries, this fic will be finished no matter how slowly! A lot more slow-burning mutual pining coming up ;) 
> 
> also working on writing a book! Kind of inspired by this fic. If you want to follow me for updates on that (as well as she-ra stuff and Indigenous issues) follow me @anishinaa_bae on Twitter or if you just want she-ra content follow me on Tumblr @catraforcecaptain

**Author's Note:**

> again, updates may be a bit slow but very excited to keep this going! already have the whole thing plotted out so no worries


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